Les Boys III (2001)

(On TV, August 2020) There’s some irony in saying that the first half of Les Boys III feels like an episode, considering that the series would eventually shift (with many of its actors) into a five-season TV show. But that happened after this third entry in the series, a French-Canadian comedy about hockey and the camaraderie between members of a team. The film begins as one of the characters literally returns from Europe, three years after the events of its France-set prequel. He’s greeted warmly, but coming back isn’t as easy as it seems at first: their local brasserie looks outclassed by a new class of sports bar, and the owner of the sports bar starts leeching away players to another team. But as usual, Les Boys III has a very large ensemble cast, and proving them all with something to do requires some plotting backflips that give the impression, especially at first, that these are disconnected subplots. The impression persists until the end in some cases, but the movie does get down to its plotting halfway through, confronting old school and new school for the players until, obviously, everyone reunites. It’s all good for fans of the characters, but this third entry does feel looser than the second film, and perhaps more insular as well – I’d have trouble recommending it as an entry point in the series. Les Boys III does feel like another episode, though: everyone gets a subplot, and the cast largely remains the same. (After providing the soundtrack for the first two films, singer Eric Lapointe steps up as an actor here.) It’s rather fun if you’ve been following the series so far, but there’s a feeling that it has already peaked.